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Benjamin Luther "Ben" Sharpsteen was an American film animator, director, and producer for Disney, where remained for 33 years from 1929 to 1962 when he formally retired, but returned on occasion for a few projects. He won two Academy Awards for his work on the True-Life Adventures documentaries Ama Girls and White Wilderness.

Born in 1895 in the state of Washington, Sharpsteen worked as an inker for Hearst International. He subsequently enjoyed tenures at various animation studios, including Fleischer and Paramount before settling at Disney. While there, he started as an animator for many Silly Symphonies before becoming a director for shorts and later films, like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pniocchio, and Dumbo. Upon becoming a supervisor, he oversaw productions, like Melody Time, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, and Alice in Wonderland before becoming involved with the Disney anthology series from 1954 and received much acclaim for his contributions to the True-Life Adventures series.

Outside of Disney, Sharpsteen created a museum documenting the history of California's first millionaire, Sam Brannan, and the history of the Upper Napa Valley as well as more on Sharpsteen's life and work at the Sharpsteen Museum located in Calistoga, California.

He died in Sonoma County, California. In 1998, Sharpsteen was posthumously named a Disney Legend.

Disney Filmography[]

Year Film Position
1929 When the Cat's Away animator
1929 The Karnival Kid animator - uncredited
1929 Mickey's Choo-Choo assistant animator - uncredited
1929 The Plowboy animator - uncredited
1929 Jungle Rhythm animator
1930 Cannibal Capers animator - uncredited
1930 Frolicking Fish animator - uncredited
1930 The Fire Fighters animator - uncredited
1930 Arctic Antics animator
1930 Midnight in a Toy Shop Animator - uncredited
1930 The Shindig Animator - uncredited
1930 The Chain Gang Animator - uncredited
1930 Monkey Melodies Animator - uncredited
1930 The Gorilla Mystery Animator - uncredited
1930 The Picnic Animator - uncredited
1930 Winter Animator - uncredited
1930 Pioneer Days Animator - uncredited
1930 Playful Pan Animator - uncredited
1931 The Birthday Party Animator - uncredited
1931 Birds of a Feather Animator - uncredited
1931 Traffic Troubles Animator - uncredited
1931 Mother Goose Melodies Animator - uncredited
1931 The China Plate Animator - uncredited
1931 The Cat's Out Animator - uncredited
1931 Egyptian Melodies Animator - uncredited
1931 Fishin' Around Animator - uncredited
1931 The Beach Party Animator - uncredited
1931 Mickey Cuts Up Animator - uncredited
1931 Mickey's Orphans Animator - uncredited
1932 The Duck Hunt Animator - uncredited
1932 Mickey in Arabia Animator - uncredited
1932 Just Dogs Animator - uncredited
1932 Mickey's Nightmare Animator - uncredited
1932 Trader Mickey Animator - uncredited
1932 The Whoopee Party Animator - uncredited
1932 Touchdown Mickey Animation supervisor - uncredited
1932 The Klondike Kid Animator - uncredited
1932 Babes in the Woods Animator - uncredited
1932 Santa's Workshop Animator - uncredited
1932 Mickey's Good Deed Animator - uncredited
1933 Building a Building Animator - uncredited
1933 The Mad Doctor Animator - uncredited
1933 Birds in the Spring Animator - uncredited
1933 Mickey's Mellerdrammer Animator - uncredited
1933 Ye Olden Days Animator - uncredited
1933 Father Noah's Ark Animator - uncredited
1933 Mickey's Gala Premier Animator - uncredited
1933 Mickey's Mechanical Man Animator - uncredited
1933 Old King Cole Animator - uncredited
1933 Puppy Love Animator - uncredited
1933 Lullaby Land Animator - uncredited
1933 Giantland Animator - uncredited
1933 The Night Before Christmas Animator - uncredited
1934 Shanghaied Animator - uncredited
1934 The Grasshopper and the Ants Animator - uncredited
1934 Funny Little Bunnies Animator - uncredited
1934 Gulliver Mickey Animator - uncredited
1934 The Hot Chocolate Soldiers Animator - uncredited
1934 Hollywood Party Animator - uncredited
1934 The Wise Little Hen Animator - uncredited
1934 The Flying Mouse Animator - uncredited
1934 Peculiar Penguins Animator - uncredited
1934 Mickey Plays Papa Animator - uncredited
1934 Two-Gun Mickey Director - uncredited
1935 Mickey's Service Station Director - uncredited
1935 The Cookie Carnival Director - uncredited
1935 Mickey's Fire Brigade Director - uncredited
1935 On Ice Director - uncredited
1935 Cock o' the Walk Director
1935 Broken Toys Director - uncredited
1936 Moving Day Director - uncredited
1936 More Kittens Director
1936 Mickey's Circus Director - uncredited
1936 Donald and Pluto Director - uncredited
1937 The Worm Turns Director
1937 Don Donald Director -uncredited
1937 Moose Hunters Director -uncredited
1937 Hawaiian Holiday Director - uncredited
1937 Clock Cleaners Director - uncredited
1937 Pluto's Quin-puplets Director - uncredited
1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Sequence Director
Post-Production Coordinator - uncredited
1938 Mickey's Trailer Director - uncredited
1938 Polar Trappers Director - uncredited
1938 The Fox Hunt Director
1940 Pinocchio Supervising Director
1940 Fantasia Production Supervisor
Producer - uncredited
Segment Director - uncredited
1941 Dumbo Supervising Director
1947 Fun and Fancy Free Production Supervisor
1948 Melody Time Production Supervisor
1948 Seal Island Production Supervisor
1949 The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad Production Supervisor
1950 Cinderella Production Supervisor
1950 In Beaver Valley Production Supervisor
1951 Alice in Wonderland Production Supervisor
1951 Nature's Half Acre Production Supervisor
1952 The Olympic Elk Production Supervisor
1952 Water Birds Director
1953 Bear Country Associate Producer
1953 The Alaskan Eskimo Associate Producer
1953 Prowlers of the Everglades Associate Producer
1953 The Living Desert Associate Producer
1954-1972 The Magical World of Disney Himself: "The Disneyland Story"
Producer
Director
Sequence Director
Production Supervisor
1954 The Vanishing Prairie Associate Producer
1954 Siam Producer
1955 Switzerland Director
1955 The African Lion Associate Producer
1955 Men Against the Arctic Associate Producer
1956 The Blue Men of Morocco Associate Producer
1956 Secrets of Life Producer
1956 Sardinia Director
1956 Samoa Director
1957 Lapland Director
1958 Portugal Producer
1958 Ama Girls Producer
1958 White Wilderness Producer
1959 Mysteries of the Deep Production Associate
Director
1960 Islands of the Sea Production Associate
Director
1970 Dad, Can I Borrow the Car? Production Supervisor
1975 The Best of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures Producer
1980 Mickey Mouse Disco Director
2000 Fantasia 2000 Production Supervisor - Segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"

Gallery[]


v - e - d
Walt Disney Animation Studios - Transparent Logo
1920s—1970s
Disney's Nine Old Men: Milt KahlFrank ThomasOllie JohnstonLes ClarkJohn LounsberyMarc DavisWard KimballEric LarsonWolfgang Reitherman

Animators: Bill TytlaArt BabbittLee BlairPreston BlairFred MooreShamus CulhaneCy YoungDon LuskNorman FergusonHal KingJack HannahDick KinneyHal AmbroKen O'BrienJudge WhitakerBill JusticeDon BluthGary GoldmanCharles A. NicholsBlaine GibsonJohn EwingWalt StanchfieldRolly CrumpFred HellmichAmby PaliwodaWilfred JacksonXavier AtencioBen SharpsteenEarl HurdDale OliverEric CleworthDavid HandFred SpencerJulius SvendsenJack BradburyKenneth MuseRudolf IsingHugh HarmanFriz FrelengWalt KellyLeo SalkinJohn DehnerRetta ScottDavid SwiftMel ShawJack CuttingGrant SimmonsArt StevensFrank TashlinWathel RogersTyrus WongJohnny Cannon
Visual Development, Layout, Background Artists and Character Designers: Gustaf TenggrenMary BlairMarjorie RalstonLillian BoundsJoe GrantMel ShawClaude CoatsDon DaGradiJohn HenchEyvind EarleKen O'ConnorThor PutnamAlbert HurterJohn HubleyHerbert RymanDon GriffithBasil DavidovichJack BoydPeter EllenshawRuthie TompsonEarl DuvallRetta DavidsonUb IwerksVance GerryHazel SewellJames BodreroLance NolleyGrace BaileyMaurice NobleDale BarnhartAndy EngmanEustace LycettJohn EmersonJoe Hale
Storyboard Artists and Writers: Bill PeetRalph WrightDick HuemerFloyd NormanYale GraceyTed SearsErdman PennerJoe RinaldiWinston HiblerOtto EnglanderWilliam CottrellBill BergAl BertinoT. HeeHomer BrightmanTed OsbourneLarry ClemmonsHarry ReevesJesse MarshChuck CouchWebb SmithDick Sebast
Directors: Clyde GeronimiHamilton LuskeJack KinneyTed BermanRichard RichGeorge ScribnerRiley ThomsonDick LundyJack KingBurt GillettJames AlgarBill RobertsLarry Lansburgh
Producers: Walt DisneyRon MillerKen AndersonDon DuckwallPerce PearceMargaret J. Winkler

1980s—present
Renaissance Directors: Rob MinkoffRoger AllersGary TrousdaleKirk WiseChris SandersMark DindalJohn Musker

Story Trust Directors: Ron ClementsChris BuckByron HowardDon HallChris WilliamsRich MooreStephen J. AndersonNathan GrenoFawn Veerasunthorn
Producers: Peter Del VechoClark SpencerRoy ConliDorothy McKimDon HahnShane Morris
Chief Creative Officer: Jennifer Lee
Associated Figures: Bob IgerRoy Edward DisneyMichael EisnerJohn LasseterEd CatmullJeffrey KatzenbergBob Chapek
Signature Voice Actors: Jim CummingsAlan TudykKatie LowesJohn DiMaggioMaurice LaMarcheJodi BensonDavid Ogden StiersJesse CortiPaul BriggsRaymond S. PersiPhil JohnstonFrank WelkerBill FarmerBrian Cummings
Signature Musicians: Robert B. Sherman Richard M. Sherman Alan Menken Kristen Anderson-Lopez Robert LopezLin-Manuel MirandaHoward AshmanTim RicePhil CollinsStephen SchwartzMarc ShaimanDanny Troob
Supervising Animators: Glen KeaneAndreas DejaEric GoldbergMark HennJohn PomeroyRandy HaycockDale BaerTony BancroftTom BancroftTony FucileAnthony DeRosaRuss EdmondsRandy HaycockBruce W. SmithDuncan MarjoribanksRuben AquinoNik RanieriRon HusbandRick FarmiloeTom SitoTony AnselmoWill FinnKathy Zielinski
Visual Development & Storyboard Artists: Dean DeBloisClaire KeaneBrittney LeeJin KimShiyoon KimRyan Green

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